The Smiley Smile Message Board

Do you all think their will a Sequel to Love and Mercy Movie. Also I think there should be a Beach Boys film with some The same. Actors from An American Family and from Love and Mercy and Summer Dreams.  What does everyone think  8)

Personally I hope they're done with making biopics about the band. I'd much prefer an expanded and updated "Endless Harmony" project.

I'm not sure if this thread is 'tongue in cheek' or serious.  :-\

No, there will never be sequel to LOVE & MERCY. I can't think of a single biopic that has ever had a sequel. The director, Bill Pohlad, said in an interview at the time of the release (something to the effect) ' This is an unconventional biopic. We wanted to focus on two distinct periods in BW's life and juxtapose them. Telling a conventional beginning to present story of this man's life never interested me. We wanted to get at his essence. Taking the path we did allowed us to achieve that, hopefully with satisfactory results. There may be another film about Brian (and the Beach Boys) but this was my vision of his story.

I'm probably not doing his original quote justice but that's how I remember him saying it. To me, LOVE & MERCY is the definitive film about BW and one of the finer biopics in memory. I DO wish that someday we could maybe get a Criterion like release that includes more extras (additional deleted scenes, etc).

That's something that would be truly special to fans of the film.

It's serious. Trust me.

My daughter read this (she lurks here and actually does have an account but doesn't really post for obvious reasons) and afterwards told me that the only way to do it was to split it off from the 15 Big One years alternating through now...and I just can't picture that!

I know nothing, but it's hard for me to envision it either. The film was unique. I can't imagine messing with it. The years Pohlad skipped were a story within themselves, but I don't think anyone would want to relive them.

It was perfect as is. I watched it with Jaymie and we both cried during the hamburger scene.  She talks about the movie a lot and she was impressed during the Pet Sounds scenes and says she learned a lot

That would be amazing.

And a whole scene would have to take place at the recording sessions for Ding Dang  :lol

I don't see a sequel happening; but with this film being Brian's story, and an upcoming Dennis bio on the way, I would say each of the guys should have their own biopic. Mike sort of had his own biopic with that tv mini series some years back, but what about the rest of the guys? I think each of them deserves a film of their own. We know, of course, what the main thrust of these will be:
Dennis learns drums so he can be a member of the band; quickly becomes the chick magnet of the group, f**ks every female he meets, meets Manson, f**ks more chicks, takes drugs, creates one masterpiece solo album, takes more drugs, and dies tragically young.
Carl learns to play guitar, becomes the onstage leader of the Beach Boys, learns to produce records from watching Brian in the studio; becomes the best singer in the group bar nobody; spirals downward into drug addiction, goes onstage drunk in Australia; cleans up, goes solo, and dies tragically young. 's
Al becomes pals with Brian in high school, they start a group together, then Al quits to go to dental school. Al comes back, stays with the group until Mike kicks him out.
Bruce's biopic might be the most different one, if they want to cover his pre-BB career. That might actually be more deserving of a documentary style film. Then he joins the BB's in 1965, and quickly becomes the band member best at wearing shorts, adjusting his mic stand, and encouraging the fans to clap.

Love and Mercy does not need a sequel, but I cannot say I would not like to watch Paul Dano and company re-enact the entire Pet Sounds album. I really liked these segments, but I think that Dano 'dumbed' Brian down a little. From the many recording sessions we have available, it is quite clear that Brian was very decisive in the studio. I would like to hear that Dano do Pet Sounds.

Sorry to bring up this old thread but I didn't want to start a new one. I just came across a making-of of "Amadeus" and was astonished how much Tom Hulce looks, and even acts like Carl in the 90s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-92JS2FbiHk

Start at ca. 10:11 mins.

I never would've expected, but yes - I do see it also

No to a biopic, but yes to a 4K widescreen documentary. The Beatles last one in the 90s is looking a bit old hat now, and the BBs one is even more dated.

Doubt there will be another Brian bio in his lifetime but a 60th anniversary documentary seems to be in works and they’ve floated the idea of a movie about Dennis a few times in recent years

Depending on who is doing it and what the content will be, a documentary could be something either great, or a whitewash considering what has happened over the last 20 years.

I would personally like to see a full collection of key video appearances, perhaps grouped by era. They're still sitting on 45 minutes of Good Vibrations studio footage from 1966 that seemingly only got seen more widely at a fan convention. That to me is ridiculous, and a wider distribution of footage like that for the more diehard fans would be a selling point. Just like the endless greatest hits style packaging of their music, which fans have been buying since the 60's, how many more documentaries do people need to see where the "three bothers, a cousin, and a friend..." history gets spelled out? And I think there are also enough videos already available with people analyzing all of it.

Granted it's a tough order all around to do a truly comprehensive documentary, but I think considering what is already out there, enough can be made using raw clips and clips unseen by most fans rather than another film based on the previous documentaries using the same clips. And we don't need experts telling us why something is what it is, when these clips can speak for themselves, as can the history as it actually happened minus the parsing and whitewashing that has sadly happened with various issues.

I also wonder how some eras that are of little interest or of little value would be handled. Such as, just one example, Mike singing Imagine at that early 80's show or a lot of those early 80's shows and projects when Carl bailed for a time...or how to square up the touring Beach Boys since 1998, if at all, with the actual Beach Boys when they were together and briefly got back together in 2012. It could be like walking a minefield trying to tell that story in documentary form while needing approval from band members to make the final edit.

It's a tough one.

Right…personally I think that is why the Brian Wilson songwriter documentary was one of the best because it was not official but still well done

Apart from the fact that Love & Mercy was a standalone film, the fact that it was not a huge financial success would prevent a sequel.  The budget was $10,000,000; the 28,600,000 world wide take (after factoring in P&A costs) meant a very slim profit margin at best... at worst, the film would still be well in the red.

The only musical biopic I recall getting a sequel was THE JOLSON STORY (1946), which begat JOLSON SINGS AGAIN in 1949.

What story would a sequel to Love and Mercy tell?

There won't be a sequel, but the biggest flaw, in my view, of L&M, was that it still perpetuated the myth of Brian retreating immediately after Smile; only for him to finally show up 20+ years later. Brian went through a lot of sh*t in the 1970s that probably wouldn't make for a great story, but it's essential to telling the life of Brian. As mentioned earlier, a documentary would be a better look than a film on these years. Rocky and Stan were essentially bullies to Brian. For much of the 1970s Brian was forced to do things he did not want in order for the band to profit. I kind of understand why Brian wanted to just disappear and be a bum. Another aspect that's been forgotten about is how Brian got back to Landy, the band's behind the scenes work to get Landy back (including Carl), and the way Carolyn Williams was treated.

While this would never happen for many good reasons, I would love to see Alan Ruck cast as an older Brian Wilson

https://images.app.goo.gl/RV1DtxEoCr6M3HVo6

Hulce will always be Larry "Pinto" Kroger to me.

Whoa, you're right.  And Ferris Bueller-era Alan Ruck wouldn't have been bad as 1961-62 Brian either.